12 page instruction booklet including 4 pages
of scale drawings - some not applicable to the kit

RR Merlin engine includes 29 separate parts
plus two more for the oil tank and one for the glycol tank

Engine bearers  3 parts plus a separate
firewall

3 cowl mounting strips as in real aircraft

Fuselage molded with side cowls in place

Dzus fasteners poorly molded on bottom of side
cowls and some flash present on port side

extra set of side cowls molded separately with
Dzus fasteners done properly

both sets of side cowls include the blister on
the starboard side seen on early IXs ( easily removed for the later
versions )

Intake for starboard cowl as per pressurized
version ( MK VII ) included

Exhaust stacks well molded  pinched
ejector style

Upper cowl molded with proper balloon
shape.

Two lower chin cowls included  one piece
early version and two piece later version with chin scoop molded in place as
per real aircraft  both are correct shape and extend back under fuselage
as per real aircraft using proper panel lines.

Separate front panel between spinner and engine
as on real aircraft

Early carb air intake correct for MK IX ( and
MK VII ) molded in two pieces

Fuselage molded with cockpit door in place with
provision for easily cutting out

Separate cockpit door also included  well
done with crowbar in clips and molded-on latch assy.

Wheels and tyres molded in one piece as the
four spoke version  on my sample both were poorly formed with bad sink
holes and cracks and unusable 

Propeller blades molded separately  flash
around tips

Spinner and back plate molded separately 
correct shape with small circular piece on tip as per real aircraft

Prop assembly molded so that it can be
installed after all painting is complete

Radiators are correct shape and include a back
and front radiator insert with correct separation between engine rad and oil
cooler in port fairing and engine rad and intercooler rad in
starboard.fairing

Overall, despite the flash and very poor mainwheels, (as noted above, my
sample is a very early release and this might explain some of the molding
problems ) this is by far and away the best Spitfire MK IX on the market today
and I say the most accurately detailed Spitfire that I have ever seen in this
scale or any other for that matter.

Many of the parts that I have mentioned are not intended for use with this
version but are a real bonus for anyone wanting to do a different version such
as the "e" wing , MK VII or MK VIII. However I don't know why one
would not just build what the kit is intended to represent and simply wait for
ICM to release the impending different versions.

The optional open cowlings are an excellent starting point for a super
detailer and it would be very easy to display the aircraft with no cowls at all
or for that matter with no engine at all as in an engine change diorama. Michael
Lipovich told me that they were two years with many trips to England researching
the Spitfire and it shows very well. I told him that it was money well spent.
They plan on maximizing on the molds and releasing versions in the following
markings:

Czechoslovakia

Russia

France

Egypt

Belgium

Holland

United States

ICM intend releasing this model as a MK IXe, MK VII c, MK VIII c, and a low
back MK XVI e. I also suspect a MK XI would be very possible. They seem very
serious and proud ( as they should be ) of the detail they have achieved with
their new Spit and are very receptive to comments and suggestions.

Next is the assembly and that will be the real test. Fit of parts and
dihedral and overall shape cannot be properly addressed until the model is
built.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank Michael and Alexey for the review kit. Michael told me a year
ago that he wanted me to be one of the first to have a Spitfire MK IX kit and he
didnt forget. A very personable president of a company indeed.